Plane crashes near Julian; two dead

A dog may also have been on the plane, which was headed to El Cajon

The wreckage of a single-engine plane rests on Volcan Mountain near Julian on Thursday. Two bodies were found in the wreckage of the plane, which was reported missing Wednesday night as the plane was en route from Palm Springs to San Diego.
— John Gibbins

The wreckage of a single-engine plane rests on Volcan Mountain near Julian on Thursday. Two bodies were found in the wreckage of the plane, which was reported missing Wednesday night as the plane was en route from Palm Springs to San Diego.
— John Gibbins

NORTH COUNTY  The bodies of two people were found early Thursday in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed on Volcan Mountain near Julian, sheriff’s officials said.

The single-engine Mooney aircraft was headed from Palm Springs to Gillespie Field in El Cajon when it was reported missing about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.

The wreckage was found around 12:45 a.m. Thursday about a half mile from a road at the top of Volcan Mountain, sheriff’s Sgt. Don Parker said. Searchers found the plane by pinging the pilot’s cellphone.

The bodies of a man and a woman were found inside. A poodle was also believed to have been on the plane, but it has not been found, sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said.

The plane, which appeared to be mostly intact, was registered to Andrew Thulin, a 55-year-old San Diegan from the Lake Murray area. He was piloting the small aircraft. Officials have not released his name or that of his passenger, believed to be his girlfriend, according to a friend.

Fellow pilot Duffy Fainer said Thulin was an airplane mechanic and a competent flyer. He said Thulin, who kept his plane in a hangar next to Fainer’s at the El Cajon airport, also helped pilots find aircraft to purchase.

“He was a very nice guy,” Fainer said.

Thulin lived in a condominium with his girlfriend. Neighbor Jennifer Jensen, 37, said the couple “absolutely loved” their dog. “They took it everywhere,” she said.

The effort to recover the bodies and aircraft began shortly before noon, after being slowed by rough weather and difficult terrain, Caldwell said. Workers secured the plane’s fuselage, which was at an angle in rocks in wet, steep and treacherous terrain, she said.

The bodies were removed from the plane by 3:15 p.m.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, both of which normally are involved in plane crash investigations, didn’t participate. Investigators from the agencies have been furloughed due to the government shutdown, Caldwell said.

About 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, the state Office of Emergency Services notified local authorities about the missing plane shortly after it fell off the radar in the area of the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve.

The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 64 mph on Volcan Mountain that night during the county’s first fall storm. Sleet and high winds led the Sheriff’s Department to discontinue its helicopter search.